


Stay With Me

by shalian



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Anal Sex, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Drama, Explicit Sexual Content, Family, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Oral Sex, Romance, Smut, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 18:31:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14361186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shalian/pseuds/shalian
Summary: In order to recover from their last mission, Hanzo is being forced to go on vacation.A certain cowboy joins him.





	Stay With Me

Everyone turned to him, shooting him worried looks.

But he paid them no mind. Instead, his attention was focused on the cowboy who was the only one in the debriefing room currently not seated on a chair, opting instead to stand by the doorway, half-leaning against the frame.

Hanzo shot him a look but all he got in reply to this was a lazy grin.

“So, what do you think, Hanzo?”

This question came from Angela and he was forced to turn towards the doctor.

“About what?”

“Colorado.” Winston supplied instead. “We don’t mean the former Watchpoint in Grand Mesa, but a safehouse nearby, in a town called Cedaredge. It’s a fairly small area and even then, the safehouse is out of the way from the town proper.”

“Colorado…” Hanzo echoed. He wasn’t too familiar with places around the United States but he did know that Watchpoint: Grand Mesa was one of the bases of Overwatch that was close to Jesse’s home. The cowboy had told him so once before in passing.

Before giving his answer, Hanzo turned to Jesse as if to ask for his opinion.

The taller man’s honey-brown eyes were positively shining now, apparently pleased by this particular suggestion and Hanzo figured he knew why. Though this little “vacation” was meant only for Hanzo, he knew Jesse would insist on coming and somehow get Winston or Jack to agree. Hanzo didn’t particularly have anywhere in mind where he wanted to go so he figured he may as well choose a place where his partner wanted to go.

And out of the various locations that have been brought up so far, the cowboy hasn’t reacted this excitedly until now.

“Colorado is fine,” Hanzo answered with a nod towards the gorilla.

Everyone else gathered around the room was clearly surprised at this, probably because he showed little to no interest in anything they’ve said until now. They probably assumed he would fight the _forced_ temporary-leave from Overwatch duties up to the end.

“Wonderful!” Angela exclaimed and her expression showed that of complete relief and happiness that they have come to this decision. “Colorado it is!”

Hanzo couldn’t blame her. She was one of the few people who had been most insistent that Hanzo take time off for his own good.

“Yee-haw!!” Jesse practically shouted, as he pumped a fist into the air and turned to Hanzo. The smile on his ruggedly handsome face was almost blindingly bright.

No one else paid him any mind besides Hanzo who could only roll his eyes at him.

Jesse chuckled at this and shot him a wink.

* * *

* * *

* * *

“It is much cleaner than I thought it would be,” Hanzo pointed out as he pulled open the door nearest the second-floor landing which revealed a nice-sized bathroom.

“Well, this is your vacation darlin’. Wouldn’t do for the rest of the team to send ya here and expect you to tidy up the place as well.”

Hanzo turned to Jesse who was leaning against the bare wall between two more doors. He had his hands in his pockets and he looked quite relaxed as he kept his eyes on Hanzo while he moved around to inspect the place.

They had finally arrived in Cedaredge, Colorado. It was rather late, nearly midnight. But Hanzo had slept enough on the transport ship that had taken them there that he was now wide awake.

He didn’t know what to expect when they got there but it certainly wasn’t the gorgeous two-story brick house set atop a steep incline surrounded by grassy fields for as far as he could see with a forest and a rocky mountain side for a backyard.

The safehouse was complete with a living room, dining room and kitchen, three bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a half bath and a recreational room that had a pool table and various games that ranged from darts to board games.

Quite frankly, it surprised Hanzo.

They called this place a “safehouse” but it was nothing like the other safehouses Hanzo has been to and had the opportunity to use since joining the peacekeeping organization. The others were shabbier and dirtier with mold as a common denominator between them while this one actually felt like a proper vacation home.

“You don’t like it?” Jesse inquired as Hanzo opened the door to the master bedroom at the end of the hallway. “Yer gonna be living here for a whole week. If you don’t like it, you should contact Winston and we can always go somewhere else.”

Hanzo tore his eyes from the open door of the en suite bathroom to look at Jesse, a brow cocked towards him.

“Why are you so worried about my comfort?”

“When have I never been worried about you?” the gunslinger countered as he closed their distance and wrapped his arms around him.

Smiling, Hanzo embraced him right back and rested his head against his firm barrel chest.

“I do not particularly care where they send me. As long as you are with me, then anywhere is fine. Besides, it is only for a week. It is not like I have to stay here for months. Even if I do not like it here, I am sure I can survive for seven days.”

Jesse tightened his hold around Hanzo and planted a kiss atop his head.

“I love you darlin’.”

“And I, you,” Hanzo whispered back as he leaned up, pressing their lips together in a gentle kiss.

* * *

#### DAY ONE

_“Are you okay?”_

_Jesse—who was half-crouched as he stole a peek over the pile of rubble they were hiding behind—turned away from the wreckage beyond to look down at him._

_“Couldn’t be better, sugar. Are_ you _okay?”_

 _The question made Hanzo remember his injury and he looked down. His palm was pressed firmly to his waist but even so, he could see the blood clearly as it continued to ooze out and stain his clothes. The_ kyudo-gi _he wore today was in blue and the obi, the same color of a lighter shade. Perhaps he should’ve worn his usual one in black, then the blood stain wouldn’t have looked so obvious._

_“I am fine,” he lied but the grimace that followed as soon as he uttered the words took away any hope he had of the cowboy believing him._

_“Darlin’… Hanzo…”_

_“I will be alright. Let us focus on getting out of here.”_

* * *

Hanzo’s eyes flew open and his dream was cut short when he heard a loud clanging from below. Whoever it was, they were making a lot of noise for it to carry all the way up to the second floor.

Grumbling a little, Hanzo pulled the blanket away and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he did so.

A yawn escaped him and he stretched, feeling his back muscles stretch rather satisfyingly as he pulled his arms skywards.

He didn’t know how long exactly he spent there, simply stretching and chasing what was left of his sleep away from his system. But when he finally did get up from the bed, he was already wide awake.

“Good mornin’, sweetheart.”

Hanzo turned around and saw Jesse standing there though he never even heard the door open and close behind him. His thoughts didn't linger on this, however, as his attention was focused on the man before him who was positively glowing for some reason and he couldn’t help but smile at the sight of him.

“Good morning. Were you the one who made all that noise?”

“Nah, you can blame Genji fer that one,” Jesse replied with a chuckle as he swooped down on Hanzo to plant a kiss on his lips.

It was short and chaste, much like the kisses he’s been receiving from the cowboy as of late but Hanzo didn’t dislike it. It was certainly a big change from the deep and passionate ones they usually shared but he thought that showing their affection like this was good at times too. It even made him feel kind of giddy. Like a teenager whose schoolboy crush has just been realized.

“At least let me brush my teeth first,” Hanzo said when they pulled apart though Jesse still had his arms wrapped securely around his waist.

Chuckling, the taller man leaned down once more but this time his lips pressed against Hanzo’s forehead instead.

“You can brush your teeth after breakfast. Food is ready downstairs. Come eat before it gets cold.”

He nodded like an obedient child and let Jesse lead him by the hand out the bedroom and down the stairs.

The delicious smell of freshly cooked eggs and bacon invaded his senses even before his feet touched the ground floor landing and the closer he got to the dining room, the more smells he picked up and the more his stomach made sounds of protest, eager to be fed.

“Good morning, brother,” Genji greeted just as he finished setting down the pitcher of orange juice in the middle of the packed table.

Besides the egg and bacon, there were also pancakes with maple syrup, toast and butter, hash browns and also sausages.

There was a _lot_ of food. Certainly, too much for three people to consume, even more so for one person and there was only one set of dining ware prepared.

“Good morning. You are not eating?” Hanzo asked, looking at his brother.

Genji, who had his mask off this entire time, reached towards the nearby counter to pick it up. He didn’t put it back over his face however, instead he held it between his fingers.

“I have already eaten, but you go ahead. I will go rest for a while. I stayed up all night to keep watch.”

Hanzo’s brows furrowed at this. He didn’t know Genji had stayed up since their arrival there and had he known what he was doing, he would have volunteered to take his place at some point during the evening. Instead, he spent the entire time relaxing with Jesse in their too-large bed. It was three times larger and infinitely softer than their beds in Gibraltar that they couldn’t help but indulge themselves simply by laying their and chatting the hours away.

“Do not worry yourself, brother,” Genji said, quick with his words after apparently noting Hanzo’s disappointment. “This is _your_ vacation after all. And I volunteered to come here with you. So, do not concern yourself with other matters and simply focus on relaxing.”

“But—”

“Should it be my turn to go on vacation, I will have you take the job as caretaker. Yes?”

Stubbornness ran in the family and his brother was even more stubborn than Hanzo so he knew when to back out of an argument. Especially an argument that made sense.

Hanzo nodded and gave him a little smile.

“Very well. And thank you, Genji.”

Genji walked over towards him and placed a firm hand over his shoulder before giving it a squeeze.

“Enjoy your breakfast. Wake me if you need anything.”

Without another word, he departed.

Hanzo listened for Genji’s footsteps as he made his way up the stairs to the second floor but not a squeak was made. The cyborg ninja was as quiet as ever and Hanzo only knew he had finally gotten into his room when he heard the soft click of the door when it closed.

With a sigh, he turned back to the challenge that awaited him. There was way too much food.

He turned to look at Jesse who had been quiet this entire time.

“Seeing as Genji did not prepare a plate for you, I am guessing you have already eaten your share?”

Jesse grinned a little guiltily at this but did still proceed to sit on one of the empty chairs, prompting Hanzo to follow him.

“Sorry darlin’. Woke up mighty early and I couldn’t resist. Genji’s cookin’ made me do it.”

Hanzo let out a lighthearted laugh at this as he poured himself a glass of orange juice.

* * *

#### DAY TWO

_Jesse looked down at his handiwork and nodded in satisfaction. He had taken off his serape to wrap it around Hanzo’s waist and tying the edges tightly over the place where he had gotten shot._

_Whether it was enough to stop the bleeding, neither he nor Jesse were sure, but at least it helped in keeping the area secure without Hanzo having to constantly press his hand over it._

_They were still in the middle of a battlefield. They had more pressing matters to attend to…like figuring a way out there and back to the rest of their team whom they had been separated from._

_“Get down!!!” Jesse suddenly shouted before using his body to cover Hanzo._

_In the next moment, Hanzo heard the whistling sound as something large came hurtling to the ground nearby._

_When it finally collided with the pavement, a loud explosion erupted and the ground beneath their feet shook. Dust and pieces of broken rock and concrete flew into the air around them and Hanzo felt them hit him through the gaps Jesse’s body cover made._

_“Fuckin’ hell,” Jesse cursed from above him as he slowly detached himself from Hanzo._

_Hanzo watched as he took off his Stetson and tapped it against his pants, dropping tiny pieces of rock in the process._

* * *

His eyes drifted open slowly as he lowered himself further down the ridiculously large bathtub.

The slight movement caused the suds to drift up from the surface of the pink-colored water and float over him in bubbles of various sizes.

A smile escaped the corners of his lips at this as he lifted a hand and began poking at them, causing them to instantly burst at the touch of his finger.

“Enjoyin’ yourself?”

Hanzo tore his gaze from the remaining bubbles to look at Jesse who was seated opposite him. He looked just as relaxed and lazy as he felt at the moment.

“I have not had a bubble bath in many years. Not since I was a child. It feels…nice.”

Jesse chuckled at this as he shifted around under the water. The tub was round in shape and about the size of a standard Jacuzzi which meant that they fit in there with more than enough space to spare. They could probably even fit Reinhardt in there and still have enough room to move around.

When Hanzo felt toes touch the inner corners of his knees, he cocked a brow at his companion.

“What do you think you are doing?”

“ _Enjoyin’_ myself,” Jesse replied in a not-too-innocent voice as Hanzo felt the sole of his foot slowly move upwards, his toes curling and uncurling over his skin as he did so.

Hanzo watched Jesse as he slowly lowered his body into the water, the further he tried to reach.

It was only when the taller man was completely submerged from the neck down that he finally thought to stop him, circling his fingers over his ankle that was just an inch away from reaching their intended target of what Hanzo held between his legs.

“Yer no fun.” Jesse pouted as he said this and Hanzo couldn’t help but think how endearing he looked.

Hanzo had no words to say in reply to this, instead he slapped the surface of the water towards Jesse.

The splash apparently caught him off guard and he ended up getting completely drenched with parts of his hair which had been dry moments earlier, now sticking to the side of his face.

Jesse didn’t move. He just sat there, looking at Hanzo with his face and hair dripping with sudsy water which smelled like roses.

“Hanzo…”

“You said I was no fun,” he countered quickly, already defensive.

Judging by the look Jesse was giving him, he already knew what was coming though that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to talk his way out of the consequences.

But the only other thing he managed to say before Jesse hauled himself into a standing position before deftly dropping himself over Hanzo causing a large splash of water around them—a good bit of which rolled out the side in waves, creating soapy puddles on the tiled bathroom floor—was a faint “Please, d—“. His words had been cut off, not like Jesse would have stopped anyway even if he heard him.

Hanzo was forced down in to the water but it was shallow enough now that he couldn’t possibly drown even if he tried.

When the surface of the water finally settled, the pair of them were dripping in equal amounts from their hair to their beards and the tips of their nose.

Jesse chuckled at the sight of him despite the frown on his face and the furrow of his brow.

“Jesse…”

He had the reprimand ready at the tip of his tongue but he never got it out as the cowboy scooted upward and wrapped his arms around Hanzo’s waist before leaning down to kiss the space between his brows, easing the crease there and effectively calming him down in an instant like a kind of drug.

Hanzo sighed and relaxed in his arms as Jesse twisted them around until he was laying on top of his much larger form.

“I love you, Han,” he whispered straight into his ear, making him shudder.

* * *

#### DAY THREE

_“To your right,” Jesse said to which Hanzo ducked without even bothering to look._

_A loud_ bang _rang through the air as Peacekeeper was fired, the bullet whizzing just over his head before he heard the_ thunk _when the metal embedded itself into the humanoid omnic’s head, right between the eyes._

_Hanzo turned and saw it clatter to the ground, dead, just before three more rounded the corner behind it._

_With quick, experienced fingers, Hanzo pulled on one of his specialty arrows from his quiver and nocked it into Storm Bow. He pulled and shot towards the incoming group without hesitation and watched his arrow embed itself on the wall behind them before the head burst open and released small bullet-like arrows which successfully reached their marks judging by the way the three omnics crumpled to the ground where they once stood._

_“Nice shot,” Jesse complimented with a low whistle as he emptied Peacekeeper’s chamber of blank casings before reloading fresh bullets and clicking it back into place._

_“I could say the same to you,” he countered with a smile as he stood back up again, struggling only slightly. It pained him whenever he twisted his body too much but he tried not to let it get to him. If they had any hope of getting out of there alive, he had to keep fighting. He can’t leave everything to Jesse even if the gunslinger has been insisting on it ever since he got a close look at Hanzo’s injury._

_No, Hanzo had to help. Even shooting down at least one enemy would help Jesse and he fully intended to help way more than that._

_The sound of more gunfire and fighting was still echoing all around them. Whether or not they were friends or foe, they didn’t know. This assignment was turning out to be more complicated and dangerous than what they had anticipated. They had gone there fully expecting to go against omnics… not omnics_ and _Talon agents. To make matters worse, they seem to be working together which gave them little doubt that the criminal organization was behind this particular omnium’s reactivation and not some God-program or delayed mechanism being set off like they initially thought it was._

_“Ready to keep goin’?” Jesse asked, an arm extended towards Hanzo so he could use him as support should he ever need it._

_Hanzo was grateful for this but he would feel better if the gunslinger simply focused on keeping an eye out for hostiles, rather than worry about his injury._

_“As I will ever be. Let us go.”_

* * *

When his character blew up, Hanzo tossed the game controller in front of him and slumped to the side, his head resting on Jesse’s jean-clad lap.

Chuckling, the cowboy set aside his own controller and proceeded to lean over until their noses touched.

“Tired?” he mumbled in that deep baritone voice of his that Hanzo will never get tired of hearing.

Already his words were lulling him to sleep. What time was it?

Hanzo closed his eyes and sighed.

“Only a little. I cannot understand how Hana can play these games for hours at a time.”

Another chuckle rumbled out of Jesse as he pecked a kiss onto the tip of his nose.

“Kids these days _are_ impressive.”

“You make it sound as if we are old men, just about ready to wither away.”

“Well, we _are_ nearin’ our forties,” Jesse reasoned with a nod.

Hanzo let out a scoff at this and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I fully intend to be as active as I am now even when we reach our sixties. Just like Ana and Reinhardt.”

This declaration earned him raised brows from the cowboy who was still watching him closely.

“We’ll be together even when we’re in our sixties?” He sounded rather amazed, as if he never even thought they would get that far and Hanzo was sure it wasn’t just with regards to their relationship but in terms of age too.

They never even discussed the future much, let alone _that_ far into the future. Considering the dangers of their jobs and the possibility of them dying when they were on particularly risky missions, he supposed it wasn’t that much of a surprise.

With a smile, Hanzo reached up a hand and held the side of Jesse’s face, rubbing a thumb over the tan skin just below his eye.

“I fully intend to be with you even when we reach our eighties.”

The very thought made Jesse laugh and he couldn’t help but join in. Thinking about them together, doing what they do now although _much_ older with white hair and brittle bones…it seemed rather ridiculous.

But when their laughter finally died down some seconds later, Jesse was grinning down at him again and he looked happier than he had ever been.

“I’m already lookin’ forward to spendin’ the rest of my life with you.”

These words caused a dusting of pink over Hanzo’s cheeks and only then did he realize that his words did sound like some kind of proposal.

“You are lucky to have me,” he replied rather haughtily and looking away from Jesse.

Once again, another chuckle as Jesse held Hanzo’s head on either side with both of his hands, forcing him to look up to him and into those glittering honey-brown orbs that were so easy to get lost in.

“Yes I am.”

* * *

#### DAY FOUR

_They were finally halfway towards where their transport ship was. Or at least, Hanzo hoped they were._

_Both of their communicators got destroyed earlier on during a scuffle with Talon agents so they had no means of contact with the rest of their team. They did think they could hear the sound of Bastion’s Gatling gun however and this made them hopeful that they really were going in the right direction._

_“Jesse,” he managed to gasp out. His breathing came in pants now, his injury finally taking its toll on him._

_They’ve been navigating through empty and broken streets—save for the dead bodies of humans and omnics alive that littered the place—with Jesse leading the way. Normally, Hanzo would be directing them as to the right way to go by taking the high ground and properly scouting the area. But at the moment, that wasn’t an option. He didn’t think he could even climb over a low fence, let alone up the side of a building._

_Jesse directed them over towards a large truck that had been blown to its side and only then did he finally stop._

_Hanzo let out a grunt of appreciation and finally fell to the ground with his back behind the metal storage unit._

_“Lemme see that.”_

_He didn’t try to protest as Jesse moved over him and began unwrapping his serape from around his waist. He didn’t even bother looking down to check on the state of his injury when Jesse gave a sharp intake of breath at whatever he saw there._

_“Hanzo,” Jesse’s voice was grim and the worry was apparent with worry. “You can’t move around no more. It’d be better if ya stay here while I go back and get some help, yeah?”_

_Frowning, Hanzo shook his head stubbornly. He may be holding back the cowboy right now but he’ll be damned if he let him off on his own without cover._

_“No. I am not letting you go off on your own. It is too dangerous.”_

_“But—”_

_“We stay_ together _,” he insisted as he circled his calloused fingers over the flesh of Jesse’s wrist._

* * *

Hanzo found him standing by the window of their shared bedroom and came up from behind, his arms wrapping around his waist.

“I am sorry.”

Surprise found its way on Jesse’s face as he turned around to face him.

“About what, sugar?”

“About Sante Fe. I thought for sure it would have been possible.”

Earlier that afternoon, he had asked Genji if they could go on a day trip to Santa Fe, Jesse’s hometown and the reason why Hanzo even chose Cedaredge as his designated vacation spot.

But his brother didn’t even bother forwarding the request to the rest of the team about whether or not it was okay for them to go when he shot down the idea on the spot with an almost incredulous look on his face, as if he didn't understand why they wanted to go to Santa Fe in the first place.

Cedaredge was a smaller town than Hanzo expected it to be and this meant there were no spaceports or hyperstations nearby. So, no means of quick and easy transportation whether by plane or train. If the options were there, then he and Jesse could have gone out on their own without having to ask Genji. With the only quick ways for public transportation to Sante Fe and back unavailable, that meant that the only other way was through Overwatch’s transport ship.

Hanzo didn’t even bother trying to contact the others to request for a transport ship. He already knew they would tell him the exact same thing as Genji.

 _“It would cost too much.”_ This was perfectly true of course. Overwatch wasn’t made of money, even if it had resumed its ties with the UN. If he had been in charge of funds for the organization, even he wouldn’t easily sign off on agents taking the few transport ships they had for their own personal use unless it benefited the team one way or another.

And their planned day-trip to Santa Fe definitely wouldn’t benefit the team…unless Overwatch’s goal was to boost Hanzo and Jesse’s love life.

“No worries,” Jesse said as he rubbed his hands across the expanse of Hanzo’s back. “I can always go back another time. Santa Fe’s not even that big of a deal. I just got real excited ‘cause I thought I could go there with you. Wanted to show ya around.”

Hanzo pulled away to look up at him.

“You thought I will only be willing to visit your hometown if I was already close by?”

Looking sheepish, he shot him a guilty grin. “Maybe?”

He frowned at him before tightening his embrace around the cowboy, making him grunt in response.

“Jesse McCree, I will go _anywhere_ with you. All you need do is ask.”

* * *

>   **…inside the bathroom for almost two hours. Acting like normal upon finishing his bath and went to bed at 02:11 AM.**
> 
> **[End of Report for April 12, 2075]**
> 
> **_April 13, 2075_ **
> 
> **Hanzo came down for breakfast at 08:31 AM. Later than the norm. Informed me that he had a late night last night because of Jesse(?). He claims—**

Angela’s eyes were forced away from the report Genji had sent which was currently displayed on her tablet. The medbay doors had slid open with a hiss.

Her eyes immediately found Jack’s visor (which he insisted on wearing everywhere though he at least did away with the part of his mask that covered his mouth and the lower half of his nose) and though she couldn’t see his eyes, she knew he was looking at her and what she held in her hands.

To confirm this, he asked, “Genji’s report?”

Nodding, she held out the tablet towards him when he got close enough.

Jack stood there for a while, a finger sliding over the screen from time to time as he quickly read through the text.

Angela couldn’t help but notice the slowly deepening frown on his face.

“Is Hanzo getting worse?” he finally said as he handed the tablet back towards her.

“I certainly hope not. He just…needs time.”

That was what she said when she suggested Hanzo take some time off. That he needed a little time away from base and away from the rest of the team to recover. Angela never assumed that by doing so the archer would recover fully especially not in such a short amount of time. But she certainly hoped that he would at least be a bit better before the scheduled date of the incoming…gathering.

“They’ll be coming home in a few days Angela.”

“I know, Jack.”

“When he sees the—”

“ _I know_ , Jack,” she repeated with a little more force as she looked up at him.

They stared at each other, or at least Angela was and she can only guess that the former Strike-Commander was staring right back at her as well.

She didn’t need him to tell her what would happen should Hanzo return to Gibraltar not being at his 100%. They already got a glimpse of that days before they left for Colorado.

“There’s nothing I can do. If they were physical injuries, sure. But that isn’t the case. At this point, it all depends on Hanzo and all the rest of us can do is hope for the best.”

* * *

#### DAY FIVE

_Pink._

_Hanzo and Jesse both saw it at the same time. The machine stood out like a beacon in the otherwise dreary street._

_But it wasn’t moving. And the closer they got to it, the more their fears were confirmed when they saw that the machine was actually abandoned, its pilot missing._

_“Hana…” Jesse’s voice was low as he said this and he whipped around in search for the young mech pilot._

_“She… she should be fine,” Hanzo reassured him. Jesse saw Hana as something like his little sister. Even he did too, and the same could be said from most of their colleagues. He didn’t even want to think about the possibility of the girl being hurt and out in the open during all the madness happening around them equipped with nothing but her tiny blaster for protection._

_It was clear that Jesse had every intention of getting even closer to the abandoned mech to inspect it better but before they could move, they heard the shifting of rubble as it rolled out of place._

_The two whipped around quickly—Hanzo wincing as he did so—and drew their weapons, aiming towards the source._

_“Hana!!” Jesse exclaimed, relief flooding his face and his voice at the sight of her._

_“Oh, thank God it’s you two! Can you help me out of here?”_

_She was stuck underneath what looked like a broken-down pillar that landed over her. But Hanzo also saw the pink metal plating that was between her body and the concrete which acted as a kind of barrier and judging by the expression on her face, she looked to be in much better shape than he was at the moment._

_He was about to move forward but Jesse held him back in place with an arm blocking him._

_“Stay here,” he instructed pointedly. “If you do any heavy liftin’ your wound’s just gonna open up again.”_

_“But—”_

_But Jesse shut him up with a kiss on his forehead._

_“Really?!” they heard Hana say in response to this, her voice incredulous._

_The corner of Jesse’s mouth twitched slightly into a smile when he heard her but he paid her no mind as he grazed the back of his human hand lightly over Hanzo’s cheek._

_“Just keep an eye out for me while I go help ‘er out.”_

* * *

“You _sure_ you don’t wanna get in here? The water’s not even that cold, sweetheart. You’ll enjoy it.”

Hanzo highly doubted it and he cocked an eyebrow towards the cowboy from his perch atop a particularly large rock nearby. Although it should technically be summer already, the weather in Colorado at present felt more like the first few weeks of spring.

They were outdoors today at Genji’s suggestion. He said there was a stream just a few miles into the forest behind the house and he thought Hanzo might enjoy it. That and he also said he needed fresh air seeing as all he has done since arriving in Cedaredge was stay indoors.

“I am fine, just where I am.”

As soon as he said the words, he heard a splash and—to his amusement—saw Jesse sitting on the shallow water with his hands braced on either side of him, his Stetson askew.

Hanzo burst out laughing at the sight. He had taken off his boots and had folded up his jeans to keep them from getting wet before he went into the water but now, every part of him from the waist down was drenched in water.

When Hanzo saw him shiver he grinned down at him.

“What were you saying about the water not being that cold?”

Jesse looked up at him and shot him the most casual smile he could muster, apparently trying not to let the temperature get to him.

“It’s not,” he still managed to fib, making Hanzo roll his eyes.

Apparently realizing Hanzo had no intention at all of moving, Jesse let out an audible sigh.

“Fine, it’s damn near freezin’. Can ya help me up? Don’t wanna slip again and get the rest of my clothes wet.”

Chuckling, Hanzo moved to his hands and knees to reach down towards him. They were close enough that he didn’t really need to get off.

He should’ve known it was coming even before their fingers touched.

The glint in Jesse’s eyes and the way he was grinning up at him were hallmarks of a cowboy with a purpose.

Hanzo yelped in surprise when he was tugged forward roughly and he was effectively pulled off the rock until he landed right on top of Jesse and he felt his lower half splash into cold water.

“Jesse!!” he all but shouted, his voice carrying through the quiet forest and echoing back to them.

Jesse could only laugh as he kept his hands around him, keeping him in place and preventing him from getting away.

Seeing that his efforts of escaping were futile, he gave up. The water was still too damn cold for his taste but what else was he to do. He was already drenched anyway.

“Wait until we get back to the house,” he muttered against Jesse’s shoulder, causing the cowboy to tremble in mirth as he tried to contain his laughter.

“I’ll wait for you forever, darlin’,” came his whispered reply as he nuzzled his face against Hanzo’s silky hair.

* * *

#### DAY SIX

_Hanzo sighed with satisfaction when he felt the biotic emitter activate right beside him. His body was engulfed in a kind of warmth that he wouldn’t mind being exposed to for the rest of his life._

_But, it was short lived. Before he knew it, the yellow glow of the field around him started fading away and his body was wrapped by the normal cool breeze around them once more._

_“Sorry but that’s all I got,” Hana said as she tried to shake the emitter as if willing it to spew out more of its healing energy._

_Jesse lowered himself closely over Hanzo to inspect his face._

_“It’s better than nothin’.” For once, his face wasn’t laced with worry at the sight of him. “He’s gotten a bit of color back on his face. Maybe I should steal some of those things from Jack’s supply too.”_

_“Hey! I didn’t_ steal _it. He actually gave me one, FYI.”_

_They all knew the father-daughter like relationship Hana had with the former Strike-Commander and though Hanzo never thought he could ever benefit from that kind of relationship the pair had, he was proven wrong now._

_The biotic emitter might have just saved his life. Or it increased his chances at least. His side was still painful and he knew the healing energy they gave wasn’t a real cure for anything but simply a temporary fix. But it still helped a lot. He can move a bit better for now at least._

_Jesse gave him one last smile before turning to Hana again._

_“Do you have your communicator on you?”_

_“Nope. My headset broke so I tossed it.”_

_“What about your mech? Can you get a line open so we can reach the others?”_

_“Even if I did, I’d still need my headset to get any message out. And my mech’s outta juice.” She sounded and looked resentful as she said this, her slender arms crossed over her chest as she pouted. “Couldn’t even activate the self-destruct as a final parting gift.”_

_Jesse’s disappointment showed on his ruggedly handsome face but he was trying not to let it get to him as he began helping Hanzo up to his feet while Hana followed._

_“We gotta keep movin’. Won’t do us no good just stayin' here and waitin’ for help that may or may not come. Can you move, sweetheart?”_

_Hanzo nodded at this and even pulled his shoulders back to show him he was feeling significantly better now. Good enough to get moving at least. They both know he wasn’t fit for any fancy fighting any time soon._

_“We shouldn’t be that far off,” Hana said as she looked around her, raising her face to the air as if looking for something. “I separated from Lú and Mei not far from here. If they held the line, then we should reach their position in no time.”_

_“Music to my ears. Let’s move.”_

* * *

A low guttural moan escaped Hanzo and he trembled on the spot when he felt Jesse’s wet tongue slide up from the base of his balls until he stopped right over his hole.

His mouth was already occupied with a certain cowboy’s cock which was currently pressing deliciously at the back of his throat that he couldn’t speak even if he wanted to.

Instead, he let his desires be known by lowering his ass further down until he could feel Jesse’s nose graze his crack.

“Ya like that, huh?” came Jesse voice, even deeper than usual and Hanzo felt his large hands squeeze his cheeks before pulling away and coming down hard on his skin, the slap high-pitched and resounding pleasingly in the air.

Hanzo let out another moan in reply to this and Jesse responded back by making lewd slurping sounds as he thoroughly sucked and licked his hole. He could feel his tongue dart in and out of him and it was causing goosebumps to erupt all over his already hot and sweaty skin.

They have been going at it nonstop after dinner and Hanzo didn’t think he could ever get enough of Jesse.

He couldn’t very well explain it. He was already insatiable enough normally but it seemed even more so now. Jesse made sure to take him to the peak of pleasure again and again but…it was still not enough. He wanted more. He _needed_ more.

With a _pop_ , Hanzo finally released Jesse’s massive cock and proceeded to nip on the skin of his thigh.

Jesse finally pulled his face away from where it had been buried in his ass for the last couple of minutes to look at Hanzo properly. He was already shaking on his hands and knees, his limbs ready to give out any moment.

“Give me your cock,” he ordered rather fiercely.

Ever the obedient one, Jesse nodded and pulled himself up in a sitting position and pushing Hanzo down on his stomach on the bed.

“How do you want it this time, darlin’?”

“The front.”

He sensed rather than saw Jesse nod at this before he felt large hands grab him by the waist and easily twist him around until he was laid down on the bed with his back on the soft sheets of the mattress.

Jesse smiled down at him, all warm and loving that Hanzo thought his heart was going to burst.

How lucky was he to have such a man in his life?

“I love you,” he confessed as he reached his arms up to grab his cowboy around the neck.

Jesse allowed himself to be lowered and he kissed Hanzo fully on the mouth.

“And I love you.”

Hanzo didn’t expect it but he wasn’t about to complain either as a loud moan escaped him when he felt Jesse’s cock easily slip into his already loose hole. And he felt tears form in the corners of his eyes when he thrust in even further, right into the deepest parts of him.

They have tried many positions in the past. Both of them never shied away from experimenting in bed. And although some of them felt better and caused the most mind-blowing of orgasms, they never failed to return to the basics, to the simplicity of rocking against each other with Jesse thrusting into him on top, giving, and with Hanzo laying down, legs wrapped around him, accepting.

It was—Hanzo thought—the position he liked the most when it came to actually _feeling_ his partner. How much Jesse cared for him. How much Jesse desired him. How much Jesse loved him.

Hanzo’s breathing hitched when Jesse finally readjusted his thrusts so it hit his prostate _just_ the right way and he could feel Jesse’s smile against the skin of his nape.

“Harder.”

Jesse had just pulled out when Hanzo said this, the tip of his cock just barely touching the rim of his hole before his next thrust came in almost painfully.

A shout was ripped out of Hanzo but this didn’t make Jesse stop. His lover already knew all of Hanzo’s responses to his ministrations and he knew full well that his scream only meant that he liked it and that he wanted _more_.

Without warning, Jesse lifted him into his arms and—with the cowboy on his knees and Hanzo clinging to him as much as he could—drove into him brutally.

Both of their breathing came in ragged gasps as Jesse continued giving Hanzo what he wanted, what he needed. He was digging his fingernails across Jesse’s back while muscular arms wrapped over his back and hands fisted into his hair from behind.

Jesse pulled on his hair, forcing him to face upwards, revealing the sweat-soaked skin of his neck which he immediately peppered with kisses before trailing down until his lips reached his pert nipples.

Another whimper escaped him when he felt lips, teeth and tongue play with the sensitive nubs.

“I am close…so close… Jesse…”

With a growl, Jesse grazed his bared teeth over his skin as he worked his way up again until his mouth found Hanzo’s awaiting ones.

“Feel all of it, darlin’,” he whispered between kisses. “Lemme see you come and make a mess of yourself.”

Hanzo wasn’t sure what it was exactly that triggered his orgasm this time. Jesse’s high-inducing voice, Jesse’s wandering hands eagerly touching every part of him he could reach, Jesse’s merciless cock that kept thrusting into him without hesitation…or (most likely) the combination of all three.

He rode out his orgasm without a care in the world, not at all caring about the mess Jesse made inside of him the exact same moment he created the mess between their pressed bodies. He wasn’t even thinking about the pains he would be feeling the next day from being so thoroughly _fucked_.

All he cared about was the total bliss he currently felt and the man who had given it to him.

Hanzo pulled away just enough so he could see Jesse’s face.

His cowboy’s face, hair—really every part of him he could see, was drenched in sweat and he could only imagine that he was in the exact same state.

“That was wonderful,” he mumbled before kissing one of his thick brows, making the taller man chuckle before he slowly laid Hanzo back down on the bed with him landing right next to him, an arm already wrapped around his waist.

“ _You_ were wonderful. You know I already like watchin’ ya and hearin’ ya speak but,” Jesse gave a low whistle, “during sex. Damn. That’s a whole different experience right there. So hard for me to hold back.”

“Good. I _never_ want you to hold back.”

Jesse chuckled at this and Hanzo could only smile as he cuddled against him, neither of them caring about the huge mess still sticking to their bodies.

* * *

#### DAY SEVEN

_Hanzo was right behind Jesse, covering for the cowboy as he led their group towards the general area where the rest of their team were. He was clearing the area of hostiles as covertly as he could manage considering the noise Peacekeeper made with every shot._

_They could already see the transport ship some miles down from their position near a collapsed apartment building. Even Mei’s ice walls were visible from where they stood._

_“Should I go on ahead?” Hana asked as they managed to duck behind a particularly large chunk of broken wall. It was still intact for the most part but with all the bullets and various explosives going off around them, it was only a matter of time before it would crumble into pieces. If that happened, it wouldn’t only blow their cover, but it could bury them alive too. “We can’t just sit here. Doesn’t seem like any of the others can come get us either.”_

_They were basically in the middle of the battlefield now. Friendlies on one side and enemies on the other as they tried to push through the line Overwatch had made to keep them away from the rest of the city that hasn’t been blown to bits yet. No one from either side had spotted them yet but when they do, they were surely going to get the brunt of the enemy’s attacks._

_”It is too dangerous,” Hanzo said just as he saw two Talon agents appear behind a metal heap that was once two cars. They were clearly trying to sneak their way forward much like what they were doing and though he couldn’t see their faces due to their helmets, he could tell they were surprised to see three people hiding there._

_Without hesitation, Hanzo pulled on his bow and shot one of the men straight through his exposed neck._

_The dead Talon agent’s partner was scrambling for his gun in an attempt to shoot back but he was too slow. Jesse had pulled the trigger on Peacekeeper and had gotten him straight through the head, the force of the bullet knocking him back until he fell lifelessly to the ground._

_Grateful as he was for the help, what Jesse did had also proven to be the wrong move. His gun made too loud of a sound and gave off their position._

_On one hand, their teammates finally seemed to notice that they were there. Brigitte was already making her way towards them, her shield in hand though it wasn’t activated. Zarya had projected a barrier field around her which disappeared just as she reached them, barely managing to slide behind the cover of the wall._

_“Where’s Reinhardt?” was the first thing out of Jesse’s mouth amidst all the bullet fires around them._

_Hanzo knew he wasn’t being ungrateful. The question sounded rather callous, sure, but he understood the reason behind his query. Reinhardt’s shield was much larger and could cover all of them, allowing for a single trip back to the rest of their team while Brigitte could only take them one at a time._

_“He’s back in the transport ship. He’s been injured,” Brigitte explained as she gave all three of them a quick inspection. She didn’t seem offended by Jesse’s question, simply focused on getting them out of there._

_Apparently noting that it was Hanzo who needed immediate help, she opened her mouth to address him._

_But Hanzo cut her off. “Take Hana first,” he suggested and nodded towards the young mech pilot who looked ready to argue. “Jesse and I will help provide cover. Quickly, go.”_

_Not leaving room for argument, Hanzo gently pushed Hana towards Brigitte who was already positioning to activate her shield._

_“Stay close behind me.”_

_Hanzo and Jesse watched as they slowly made their way slowly back to the rest of their team, all the while shooting towards the enemy with Storm Bow and Peacekeeper._

_At first, the enemies focused their fire on Brigitte and her shield. But when they saw the two left behind the wall providing cover for them, they refocused their attention on them instead._

_The wall couldn’t take the beating any longer as it began to shake._

_It happened in an instant._

_Hanzo was standing underneath the taller, thicker and heavier expanse of steel and concrete. His eyes widened as he watched the structure begin to tilt backward, directly over him._

_“NO!!!”_

_It was Brigitte’s voice who had shouted this and Hanzo felt a kind of warmth envelope him at the same time his vision of the toppling structure above him was blocked by Jesse who had appeared before him in an instant, one arm wrapped itself protectively around Hanzo’s head and pulled him down to his chest while the other grabbed him tightly by the waist._

_In the next moment, his vision went black._

* * *

“Is that necessary?” he inquired, still eyeing the two crisp suits that were currently laid out across the table in front of them.

“I am simply following orders,” Genji replied simply before he bounded his way to the cockpit of the transport ship and leaving him with Jesse on the L-shaped couch.

Hanzo was fairly certain that his brother only left—he wasn’t even needed in the cockpit since Athena flew the ship all by herself without any assistance—just so he can save himself from answering any of Hanzo’s questions, and he had a fair few after everything he’s been told so far.

 _“Initiating take-off,”_ Athena announced through the invisible speakers around them and they could feel the slightest of rumbles under their feet. _“Ten…nine…”_

As the countdown continued, Hanzo felt Jesse’s large and warm hand cover his own, prompting him to twist it around until both their palms touched and their fingers laced between the other.

“How’d you like your vacation?”

Hanzo smiled up at him and rested his head on his shoulder.

“It was enjoyable. Though I am fairly certain it was only so because of you.”

* * *

_His eyes felt heavy, like lead. But he somehow managed to open it anyway._

_What woke him up was the jostling. What he saw first was the ceiling of the transport ship and he guessed they were already up in the air and on their way to…who knows where. Maybe back to base? It was rather dark but his eyes had managed to adjust quickly enough._

_Hanzo tried to move his head, to look around him but found that he couldn’t. It was safe to assume that his neck was in a brace._

_He closed his eyes again, and instead focused on the whispered conversation going on around him._

_“It is… it is my fault…”_

_That was… Brigitte? Only she didn’t sound like her usual self. Her voice was guilt-ridden and the mingled sniffling could only mean she was crying._

_“I… I should’ve thrown my repair pack to him instead. Then maybe it might have—"_

_“No,” someone interrupted fiercely, though her voice was also whispered and her tone just as cracked as the squire’s. it was Hana. “It’s mine… I should’ve… should’ve…”_

_What she should’ve done, Hanzo didn’t know. The conversation they were having confused him. What or who were they talking about? He certainly hoped they weren’t talking about him. As badly injured as he may be right now, he was still alive. There was no need to feel guilty about it. And it wasn’t even any of their faults at any rate._

_“If only I was out there,” this time it was Reinhardt. His characteristic boisterousness was gone from his voice which was as unusual as it was worrying._

_“It is no one’s fault!”_

_This voice came up louder than the rest so far and Hanzo recognized it to be Angela’s._

_“There was nothing any of us could have done. He… he made the choice himself, to do what he did. We should h-honor him for that. He wouldn’t want us to blame ourselves like this…”_

_Though her tone was steady, more so than the others who have spoken before her, Hanzo could still pick up on the grief she felt._

_Hanzo wanted to ask them what they were all so depressed about but when he tried to open his mouth, he found himself unable to do so. His jaw felt even heavier than his lids were and the attempt to speak seemed to only tire him out even more as he felt his consciousness dip into darkness one more time._

* * *

“Hanzo?”

The sound of his name woke him and he opened his eyes. He was still in the transport ship but this time it wasn’t moving. One glance towards the glass panels of the still closed ramp showed that they had finally landed.

“Had a nice nap, sweetheart?”

Hanzo turned to the man still seated next to him and smiled. Jesse was smiling down at him, a fond look on his face that Hanzo didn’t think he would ever tire of seeing especially when it was directed towards him.

He gave the cowboy’s hand a firm squeeze before finally letting go so he could stretch his aching muscles. Although he managed to sleep through the entire trip peacefully enough and without interruption, his muscles had gone tense from lack of movement.

Across from him, he saw Genji already moving about and was already asking Athena to lower the ramp.

Hanzo watched it slowly lower outside, letting the bright afternoon sunlight filter into the ship, forcing him to squint and hold a hand over his head to shield his eyes.

He heard the movement outside before he saw the person who caused it.

“How was the flight over?”

It was Jack. Only it was Jack as Hanzo had never seen him before. He was dressed in a black suit, a tie, leather shoes and all.

Behind him, Hanzo saw the rest of Overwatch, dressed in similar fashion. They weren’t all wearing suits or formal dresses, but they were all dressed in black clothing.

“It was pleasant,” Hanzo replied before turning to Jesse. It was only then that he realized that the cowboy had already changed out of the casual clothes he had been wearing during their trip back to Gibraltar.

Inwardly, he was wondering how he had managed such a feat when Hanzo was fairly certain that he had been resting on his shoulder the entire time with their hands firmly clasped. But whatever question he had died in his brain as his sleep-addled mind finally registered just how _good_ the taller man looked in a three-piece suit that somehow looked especially tailored for him.

He had never seen Jesse dress so smartly and he found that he quite liked it. Even the bolo tie (in red, of course) which he wore instead of a regular tie looked perfect on him.

“Go get changed, darlin’,” Jesse said as he pulled on the lapels of his jacket rather unnecessarily. He gave Hanzo a wink, grabbed the white Stetson (the color matched his dress shirt perfectly and provided a nice contrast to the darkness of his suit) from the table and dropped it over his head before making his way down the ramp right behind Jack. “I’ll wait fer you outside.”

* * *

_The next time Hanzo opened his eyes, he was in the medbay back in Gibraltar. He knew this without having to really look around. One good look towards the ceiling was all it took. He had taken the habit of staring at it whenever he found himself in Angela’s prison. Enough so that it was easily recognizable no matter his current state of mind._

_“Hanzo?”_

_His eyes drifted from the white panels above him to look instead at the person who had just spoken._

_He found himself still unable to move his head but it wasn’t needed as Angela drifted into his line of sight some seconds later._

_When his eyes met her blue ones, a look of relief overcame her features._

_“Can you try to speak for me?” she asked just as she lowered the mask that had been covering the lower half of his face as it filtered in oxygen and whatever else into his system._

_Hanzo opened his mouth but no real words came out, instead a kind of cracking noise erupted from him and he instantly felt the dryness of his own throat._

_“Hold on,” Angela said as she disappeared from view again, only to return a short while later, this time with a clear cup filled with water and a bendy straw._

_She assisted Hanzo as he took a few sips._

_“Better?”_

_He replied with a nod which was both an answer to her question as it was a sign of thanks._

_“Can you try again?”_

_Once more, Hanzo opened his mouth._

_“Where,” he managed to get out, though his voice was still croaky from lack of use, “is Jesse?”_

* * *

By the time Hanzo had disembarked, it was to see the rest of his fellow agents talking in low voices, huddled in their own little groups.

All except one at least. The one who mattered the most.

His eyes immediately found his cowboy who was the only one not involved in conversation with the others. Instead, he was half-leaning against a metal storage unit with his arms crossed over his chest and his head bowed, letting the brim of his hat cover his face.

Hanzo immediately walked over towards him and pulled on his Stetson, forcing his lover to look at him.

Jesse’s honey-brown eyes widened in surprise for a moment before it softened considerably when he noted Hanzo’s state of dress.

“You look good,” he complimented, smiling.

He raised a brow at him. “Only ‘good’?”

This made Jesse chuckle as he bent down to kiss him on the forehead.

When he pulled away, he let his face linger a little right next to Hanzo’s ear.

“You look gorgeous no matter what you wear, sweetheart.”

A light flush invaded his cheeks at this and he swatted a hand over the taller man’s chest.

“I could say the same to you,” he managed to mutter back, still embarrassed.

Jesse chuckled at this but said nothing as Genji walked over towards them.

His brother too was wearing a black suit though he wore his over his usual armor. He did dispose of his visor, however, allowing everyone to see his scarred face though at this point, everyone had already grown used to it to not really mind. They saw it often enough during meals.

“Brother?”

Only when he turned to Genji did he notice that the rest of the team had stopped talking and were all looking at them.

He cleared his throat, feeling more embarrassed now, not even realizing he and Jesse had an audience.

“Yes?”

“Ready to go?”

Jesse stepped beside him and took his hand into his once more.

Hanzo was still a little confused as to _what_ he was ready for and where exactly they were going but the reassuring squeeze Jesse gave him made him not really care that he didn’t know. He was among friends, family, and his lover. Surely it wouldn’t be something or somewhere too bad.

* * *

_Just because he heard the words doesn’t mean he was listening._

_Genji was talking about this and that since he arrived in the medbay and Hanzo had since lost track of whatever it was he was trying to say._

_He had since tuned him out and had settled on staring outside the nearest window which was much too high for him to see anything through from his spot on the bed. The darkness outside did, however, indicate that it was already evening._

_“I shall take my leave then.”_

_This announcement came so suddenly that it actually startled Hanzo. Just a moment ago he was well into a story about Lúcio and Zenyatta._

_Hanzo looked at him, intending to speak but before he could even say anything, a low beeping cut him off._

_Genji took out his handheld which he kept inside a small hidden compartment in his armor and was quick to read whatever message he received._

_“I shall come again, brother,” he said as soon as he was done and was out the medbay in less than a second, not even giving Hanzo a chance to say anything in reply._

_He stared at the doorway which was already sliding close after granting Genji his leave._

_Genji was acting oddly and he wasn’t the only one. Every person who had come in to see him were chattier than usual and they also left as quickly without giving him a chance to get a single word out._

_Was something happening elsewhere in the base? What in the world is going on?_

* * *

When they reached the area where the cars were parked, Genji led him towards the one up front just as Jack slid into the driver’s seat with Angela on the passenger seat next to him.

Hanzo made to follow Genji when he stepped inside but stopped by the doorway when he noticed there was only one space left. Zenyatta had entered through the opposite door and had already placed himself next to Genji who was seated in the middle.

“I will go ride in another car,” he told them with his hands braced on the still open car door.

“Why?” Genji asked, his brows furrowed up at him.

Obviously sensing the younger Shimada’s distress, Jesse gave Hanzo’s hand a gentle squeeze to get him to look at him.

“Go ahead, sweetheart,” he urged reassuringly. “I’ll catch a ride with the others and I’ll meet ya there.”

He was thumbing over his shoulder towards the three other cars lined up behind theirs.

Frowning, Hanzo caught Fareeha’s eyes just before she stepped into the car right behind them where Ana was already behind the wheel.

He didn’t want to be separated with Jesse. It felt wrong somehow and he couldn’t help the nagging feeling that something bad would happen if he ever lost sight of the cowboy.

This was ridiculous of course. They were just going to take a car ride to who-knows-where, they were still going to meet up when they reached their destination.

Though still feeling hesitant, Hanzo nodded in understanding.

Jesse shoots him that lopsided grin of his as he lowered himself to press his lips on Hanzo who had leaned up to meet him at the same time.

“I love you, Hanzo.”

“I love you too, Jesse.”

And, with a wink, he stepped back, letting go of Hanzo’s hand from his grasp.

The cowboy watched as he finally slid himself inside next to Genji and closed the door behind him.

It was only when Jack started the car did Jesse finally walk away from where he stood on the other side of the door. Hanzo watched him leave for a moment before finally settling into his seat with a sigh.

* * *

_“Do you remember what happened?”_

_Hanzo looked at Angela, a little confused._

_She was seated on the stool by his bedside, a tablet in hand probably with notes about his condition. He didn’t really see the point of it seeing as he felt perfectly fine now. Her medical interventions still worked miracles. It has only been four days since he woke up in the medbay and apparently, he had been asleep two days before that when they brought him in. Still, six days to fully recover from his injuries? That was as good as it’s going to get._

_So, he didn’t really understand what this particular intervention was for._

_Besides Angela, there were four other people there, standing behind her and watching. Watching him._

_Winston, Jack, Ana, and Genji._

_They weren’t saying anything. Besides the quick greeting they extended towards him when they first arrived, they haven’t said a word since. Not to him or each other._

_“Are you talking about the last mission?” Hanzo finally asked which earned him a nod from Angela and a rather uncomfortable shift from Genji behind her. “I do remember.”_

_“Can you tell me about it? You are already fit enough to leave physically but I need to assess your mental and emotional state before I can clear you.”_

_Understanding a little better now—though still confused as to_ why _the presence of the four individuals behind the doctor was necessary—Hanzo nodded before settling into his pillows._

_“Not long after we arrived at the location, we were strategically separated by the enemy. We were overrun.”_

_Angela nodded at this, urging him to continue as she pressed a finger on her tablet screen as he spoke._

_“I was fighting against a large group of omnics by myself for a while… then Talon agents showed up and began fighting together with them. This caught me off-guard and… and I got shot…”_

_Hanzo raised a hand and rested it over his waist where he vividly recalled bleeding out of._

_“Then Jesse came.” When he remembered this particular part, he couldn’t help the smile that escaped his lips. “I do not know how but he found me.”_

_He took a moment to recall his own feelings when he saw Jesse on the battlefield. There was still chaos around them but the cowboy seemed to care little about what was going on, rather he was more concerned about the injury Hanzo sustained._

_“We fought our way back to where we thought the rest of the team was,” he continued eventually with a little tilt of his head as he wondered whether or not he remembered the details right. “We encountered Hana on our way…and eventually, we all made it back to where the main fight was going on.”_

_“And…?”_

_“And…” Hanzo’s face screwed up a little as he tried to recall what happened next. The more he tried to think, the more the scenes playing out in his mind turned fuzzy. “Brigitte came over to help… I told her to take Hana first. They were on their way back to the rest of the team and… and…”_

* * *

* * *

“NO!!!”

Brigitte’s horrified scream was the last thing he heard before a kind of ringing blocked all the sound around him.

It was as if everything was going in slow motion.

Hanzo felt his entire body engulfed in a warm aura—Brigitte’s repair pack, he guessed, having been a recipient of the unique buff in previous missions—just as he looked up at the towering structure over him. It was descending forward, over him.

But his attention was quickly torn from the crumbling wall to instead look at Jesse who had suddenly appeared in front of him. And with him, Hanzo felt his large, strong arms grab hold of him around his head and around his waist as Jesse pulled him against his own body in an attempt to shield him from the impact.

His face was forced against the cowboy’s chest, blocking his vision at the same time sound finally began to register to him again.

He heard the crumbling rock and concrete fall over them at first, and then he felt it. The sheer weight of it together with Jesse’s own mass, knocked the wind out of him as he was pressed down to the ground.

“J-Jesse?” he managed to gasp out and he felt Jesse move his arm ever so slightly in response.

This brought about relief in Hanzo like he had never felt before.

“Are you all right? Can you move?”

Instead of replying, he felt him move again.

A low hiss of pain escaped Hanzo’s lips, forcing him to shut his eyes in agony when Jesse somehow managed to get on all fours. Though the weight was off him, it also somehow made the wound on his waist more pronounced. It must have gotten hit during the fall. He wouldn’t be surprised if it had made the injury worse. Then again, if Brigitte hadn’t sent a repair pack his way, or if Jesse hadn’t covered for him the way he did… he would probably be in a worst state than he already was.

“Han, are you okay?” came Jesse’s voice over the sound of continued gunshots around them.

Hanzo forced his eyes open and looked up towards his lover. His concern over Hanzo despite the current state of things almost made him want to laugh.

They were there, in the middle of a chaotic battlefield, with _nothing_ left to use for cover to block enemy fire and yet he was worried about _him_.

Before he could answer him, Hanzo heard the sound of heavy footsteps… both human and metal.

Jesse did too as he finally looked away from Hanzo and instead turned towards the direction it was coming from.

When he did so, Hanzo saw the trickle of blood dripping from the ends of Jesse's chestnut hair. The cowboy's chest armor might have helped protect his upper body from the crumbling wall considerably, but his hat hardly (if at all) gave the same level of protection.

But even if Hanzo wanted to address this, he couldn't. Now wasn't the time. When he turned towards the same direction Jesse was looking, his eyes landed on the large group of omnics and Talon agents that was heading straight towards them.

“We have to move,” Jesse urged, quite serious with his teeth gritted. The look on his face as he attempted to get up indicated that the very act needed every ounce of energy and strength he possessed. But with help from Hanzo, who pushed on the intact bit of concrete on top of Jesse to help ease the weight off him, they managed to slide it off his back.

With a grunt, he got up carefully while pulling Hanzo up with him.

Standing, they were even more exposed now. The only cover they had around them were debris only as tall as their knees.

Proper cover was the least of their worries at the moment however, as the first of the omnics finally reached them. 

Jesse elbowed the machine right in the face with his left arm. The force—added with the sturdy material that made up his prosthetic—was enough to knock its head back hard enough to actually detach it from the rest of its body.

Glad that he somehow clung to Storm Bow this entire time, Hanzo began firing shots towards the rest of the incoming hostiles.

In the distance, he could hear the rest of their team shouting and also firing their own weapons while trying to avoid hitting him and Jesse.

Hanzo managed to take down two Talon agents and three omnics while Jesse did away with even more with Peacekeeper.

But it wasn’t enough.

There were simply too many of them.

A Talon agent that had crept around them caught Hanzo by surprise when he landed a well-aimed kick right on his injured waist. The force of it and the instantaneous sharp pain he felt afterwards was enough to knock him down to his knees.

Hanzo looked up just as the barrel of a rifle was pointed down towards him.

“Filthy Overwatch sc—"

His words were cut off as he crumbled to the ground.

Behind him, Jesse had the butt of his revolver in the air where it collided with the Talon agent’s head. Once again, he was saved.

When their eyes met, the cowboy smiled at him before offering his hand towards Hanzo once more.

“Stay with me, darlin’,” Jesse said, his grip on Hanzo’s hand firm and strong.

“I fully intend to,” he somehow managed to reply cheekily as he flashed him a smile of thanks. He was also hoping this had managed to mask the permanent wince on his face caused by his injury. The last thing he needed was for Jesse to worry even _more_ about him than he already did. After all, he too, was also injured if the blood which stained his hair was any indication.

Jesse made to pull Hanzo off the ground while still managing to shoot bullets out of Peacekeeper with the other.

But then, Hanzo heard it.

A high-pitched zipping sound as something small and deadly whizzed through the air, and—

Hanzo watched as Jesse froze. The smile on his face, the one reserved just for Hanzo, stilled. The grip he had on his hand slackened all of a sudden and he felt himself fall back…not alone but with the weight of the cowboy coming down above him.

He felt his already thoroughly abused and injured side hit a particularly large broken piece of rock from underneath him, causing another painful and almost excruciating jolt to course through his entire body and that was it.

It was all too much.

He could almost hear his entire body scream in protest at the same time he heard his own mind scream as he called out for his fallen lover.

_Jesse!!!_

But only silence and emptiness followed him as Hanzo finally blacked out.

* * *

* * *

_He stared at his hands which were now folded over his lap, unblinking._

_The next thing Hanzo remembered after that was waking up, only semi-conscious, in the transport ship while the rest of his teammates were talking in anguished and guilty voices._

_He finally lifted his eyes to look at Angela._

_“And…?” she prompted again, still waiting for him to continue recalling the events of that day to her._

_“Angela…”_

_“Yes?”_

_“Where is Jesse?”_

_When the question descended from his own lips, he could feel the rest of his body turn ice cold. He found it not only difficult to breathe, but even to swallow though there was nothing in his mouth save for his own saliva._

_He had addressed this same question to the doctor the day he woke up and did so again to the various teammates who had come in to see him since. But, now he realized, no one had really properly answered him._

_Angela looked at Hanzo before shifting on her seat to turn to the other four still standing in silence behind her._

_Winston made no indication of wanting to answer. Instead, he looked away with his face lowered._

_Jack looked like he was about to say something but seemed to change his mind mid-way as he closed his mouth again._

_Ana was looking at Hanzo, her gaze nothing short of anguished._

_Genji… Genji raised both his hands behind his head, triggering the mechanism that kept his visor in place. A low hiss, and his mask was off._

_Their eyes met and immediately, Hanzo saw his brother’s sadness within its depths._

_“Hanzo…” he began, his voice the gentlest he has ever heard it. “Jesse is…”_

* * *

It wasn’t long until they reached their destination. In fact, it was actually incredibly short. So much so that they could have just walked there should they wish and still arrive at around the same time.

This wasn’t what surprised Hanzo, however, rather the _location_ he had found himself in.

He didn’t exactly know what to expect when Genji had told him to wear the suit. But the first thing that came to mind was some kind of fancy black-tie event…even if neither of them had attended such a thing for many years.

But they weren’t in some fancy hotel. In fact, they were in a place that was farthest from a hotel, fancy or otherwise.

The ground crunched a little beneath his leather shoes as Hanzo stepped out of the car and onto the forest floor.

He had barely kept track of the scenery as they made their way there but judging by what he saw around him, he knew they were still on the Rock of Gibraltar. Though the trees and overall greenery surrounding them were thick and tall, he still saw one of the many familiar lighthouses over the water in the distance below.

Everyone around him was quiet as they descended the cars they had come in.

“Let us go,” Genji said as he took Hanzo by the hand and began pulling him after him, right behind Jack who was leading the way through the thicket.

There was no real path to follow and they were all walking quietly in a straight line.

He wanted to tell his brother he wanted to walk with Jesse but he held his tongue. He wasn’t a petulant child nor was he some kind of dependent housewife. He can survive a (possibly) short walk through the forest without him.

Hanzo knew they arrived when he saw it.

And he froze on the spot, his blood instantly growing cold.

The overall scenery was beautiful. They were in a large clearing he didn’t even know existed in that place, always thinking that this side of the promontory was nothing but flat rock and forests. They entered the clearing from the bottom part. The end of the opposite side was located further up, following the elevation of the rock.

Hanzo thought this would make for a great place to relax and meditate. Such a large open space completely covered in grass and flowers secluded within the forest and out of reach from just about everyone who didn’t know it was there.

Yes, it definitely would… if it weren’t for all the rectangular grave markers on the ground.

His eyes turned to the plaque nearest him.

**HERE LIES**

**Wayne Bowden**

**FLIGHT ENGINEER**

**OVERWATCH**

Hanzo vaguely recalled the name. Though he had never met the man before, he had seen his surname on various surfaces on base, particularly the old crew quarters beneath the hangar.

Overwatch’s logo was inscribed just above his name which, Hanzo knew, normal people would usually inscribe with a cross or whatever symbol they saw fit to describe the religion they believed in.

“Brother…”

Hanzo tore his eyes away from the memorial to look at his brother.

Genji was standing just a few feet ahead of him, between two other gravestones, waiting for him. The rest of the team had since walked in front of them and were now gathered somewhere further up the field.

Ignoring Genji and his outstretched hand, he looked around for Jesse. Had he passed him without him noticing?

“Hanzo!”

He turned around at the sound of his name but it was Jack who had called out to him.

The former Strike-Commander and everyone else were all turned towards him and Genji, waiting.

Embarrassed at being the cause of the delay, he quickly stepped forward.

Genji wrapped his arm around his shoulder when he reached him and they both walked over to join the rest of the team.

* * *

_“Hanzo!!! Stop it! Please!!”_

_He was faintly sure someone was shouting his name but Hanzo wasn’t sure…nor did he care._

_When his eyes landed on the one upright bed left in the medbay, he stalked towards and lifted it off the ground before sending it toppling across the pristine white floors._

_The ground was littered with various objects now from thrown pillows and torn down curtains that were used to divide the beds for privacy, to broken glass and torn pages of books and physical copies of Mercy’s patient files that used to be stacked in order on her desk._

_Whatever Hanzo saw, he felt the need to pull on it and rip it apart, to create chaos…a chaos similar to what he felt deep inside him._

Jesse… Jesse… Jesse…

_The name kept echoing in his ears and when it finally stopped, it was instead replaced with the cowboy’s laugh. But it didn’t sound normal. It sounded distant and rather haunting. Hanzo wasn’t sure if he liked hearing that better or not._

_“HANZO!!!!”_

_Whoever spoke said his name so loud that it actually managed to interrupt his thoughts and the voice he was hearing._

_Hanzo stopped his attempt at tearing apart the cushion to one of the chairs and turned around._

_The moment his eyes landed on his brother, he was forced to look away as a firm armored hand collided with the side of his face._

_Genji had just slapped him._

_“Get a hold of yourself!”_

* * *

When Hanzo saw the closed casket suspended over a freshly dug hole in the ground, he took pause. He realized that this was the first funeral he has attended that wasn’t traditional Japanese. At this point in time, the body would have been cremated, with the ashes buried under the stone. The only time he has ever seen dead bodies in caskets were during wakes—the last one being his own father’s, many years back.

He doesn’t remember the details much, just that he looked rather peaceful, almost sleeping, as he lay inside his own coffin.

After a moment of silence—which Hanzo spent simply confused and wondering just who it was they were burying—Jack stepped forward from the half-circle they made surrounding the casket.

With his back turned towards them, he made to pull on the upper half of it, in order to reveal the dead body laying inside.

Hanzo felt a tap on his shoulder form behind and turned, fully expecting to see Jesse but instead it was Hana.

She young mech pilot was openly crying. Her eyes red and puffy with tear streaks down her cheeks. She didn’t even make an effort of wiping them away.

Wordlessly, she handed Hanzo a white flower before moving along down the line of people, doing the same thing.

“Hanzo.”

Once again, he was brought to attention by Jack who nodded to him.

“Would you like to begin?”

This question confused him.

Begin _what_?!

Everyone around him was moving around as if what they were doing made sense when it really did not. Hanzo was more than confused now as to what in the world was happening but no one seemed inclined to shed him even a little light on the situation.

To make matters worse? Jesse is nowhere to be found.

Ignoring Jack—and Genji who tried to make a grab for his wrist—Hanzo stepped back enough to look up and down the line.

Jesse wasn’t there.

He turned to his brother.

“Where is Jesse?”

This questioned caused a wave of various reactions from the rest of the team.

Genji, Ana, Winston, and Zarya looked worried. Torbjörn, Reinhardt, Lúcio, Mei, and Angela looked nothing short of distressed. Fareeha, Brigitte, and Lena looked either ready to cry or were already crying together with Hana who had both Zenyatta and Bastion trying to comfort her on either side. And Satya… she couldn’t even look at Hanzo as she quickly tore her gaze from him as soon as their eyes met.

* * *

_“A vacation?”_

_The very sound of the word was incredulous._

_Hanzo cocked an eyebrow towards Genji._

_“We all agree that you need it. You have not had a day off in a long while. It will do you some good.”_

_“But why? Why me? There are others more overworked than I am. You, for example. If anyone has to take a break, it should be—”_

_“Please, just think about it?”_

_Genji’s interruption matched with the worry on his younger brother’s face made Hanzo realize that he was being very serious about this. More serious than he should be in Hanzo’s opinion._

“A free vacation? Sounds like a good deal t’me. Why not go for it, darlin’?”

 _The sound of_ his _voice made Hanzo shudder as much as it soothed him._

_“Hanzo?”_

_“Okay, I will consider it.”_

* * *

No one still bothered to answer him and it was starting to annoy him.

Instead, Genji held Hanzo by the elbow and led him forward, towards Jack, towards the casket.

Hanzo let himself be pulled.

It was a short walk.

Seven steps, to be precise.

Yes, seven steps.

It only took seven steps…for his whole world to crumble underneath his feet.

The moment he turned his gaze towards the head of the open casket, he saw him.

Jesse…wearing the three-piece black suit with grey accents and a white dress shirt underneath. He even had his red bolo tie and his white Stetson which was held between his fingers just over his chest.

Everything around Hanzo moved at once. Or was it really his surroundings? It could’ve been him. He wasn’t exactly sure. But one thing’s for certain, the urge to puke everything inside him from the food he ate earlier that morning to the very essence of his being, was strong. He wanted to get it out of him. All of it.

“Brother!”

He heard Genji shouting somewhere near him and next thing he knew, his younger brother was half-covering his view of Jesse’s dead body that was still laying motionless inside the dark wood of the casket, looking so peaceful he could very well be asleep.

“Jesse…”

Hanzo wasn’t sure how it happened but the next time he regained awareness of anything else besides the cowboy, it was to find himself being pinned down onto the grass-covered ground with Genji and Jack both doing their hardest to keep him in place. What had just happened? Try as he might, he couldn't remember what he did to deserve being tackled to the ground by two grown men. His mind came up blank and he felt like pieces of his own thoughts were missing somehow.

He could hear several people crying nearby, most notably Hana and Fareeha who were both being consoled in the arms of Lúcio and Ana. Even Brigitte, tough as she usually is, was being engulfed in a hug by Reinhardt with her father rubbing her shaking back soothingly.

“Hanzo, please calm down.”

It wasn’t his brother this time, but Angela. He turned his attention towards her just as she approached him, a syringe filled with golden yellow liquid in hand.

He recognized it of course. The fluid moved differently and was just slightly darker than the one found inside Jack’s biotic emitters. Hanzo had seen it in use more than a handful of times though in those cases they were shot through Ana’s pistol.

“DO NOT TOUCH ME!” he shouted as he struggled against Genji and Jack’s hold. It did little however, as both men had their full weights on him.

Angela looked at him with tentative eyes before turning to Genji as if asking for permission.

Genji turned to Hanzo one more time.

“Brother, you need to calm down. Otherwise we will have no choice but to put you to sleep.”

“I will calm down if you let me go and take me to Jesse! Jesse was just with me moments ago. Is this some kind of sick joke? Tell him to stop acting as if he is…as if he is…”

The words refused to escape his mouth.

“Jesse is _dead_!!!”

Hanzo’s head snapped to the side to turn to the speaker. The one who had shouted the words was Hana. Her face was tear-stained and she was visibly trembling as she looked straight towards him. She looked ready to collapse and he guessed she would have done so if it weren’t for Lúcio and Zenyatta who currently both had an arm each around her. The exhaustion on her face was suddenly apparent as was the shaking of her shoulders. Hanzo would have guessed that she was angry by the tone of her voice but the way she was looking at him showed nothing but sorrow.

“Hana…” Lúcio began to speak but he couldn’t say anything more as Hana shook her head, her eyes still trained on Hanzo.

“Hanzo, Jesse is dead.”

The repeated words, which were spoken in a more leveled and serious tone, felt like a slap to Hanzo's face. Although he had heard her say the words the first time, it wasn't until she said it again that the meaning actually registered to him.

It was also in that instant that Hanzo recalled another moment when the very same words had been said but instead, it was by Genji and at the time, they were in the medbay.

Memories he didn’t exactly forget but had been buried deep inside his mind and soul instantly began to surface in full force.

Him waking up in the medbay in Gibraltar. Him noticing Jesse’s absence during his confinement with Angela. Him wondering why no one ever bothered to answer him when he asked about Jesse’s whereabouts. Them asking Hanzo what he remembered from the mission. Him recalling the events and remembering…Jesse getting shot.

“Hanzo?”

His head began pounding painfully at that point as his mind was being filled by a flurry of memories, some of which he wasn’t even sure were even real.

He— _They_ were in Colorado. Him and Jesse. Right?

They spent all their time there together.

They had meals…

They took baths…

They played games…

They talked for hours on end…

They fooled around…

They made love…over and over and over again.

But if Jesse really had died during the mission, then…

The sound of several people calling out his name slowly started getting distant, as if they were being pulled away from him, or else he was being pulled away from them. And when everything finally muted, he started to feel his vision slowly start to swirl, like liquid being drained.

Hanzo forced his eyes shut as his senses started to make him feel dizzy. He didn’t understand what was going on, just that he wanted it to stop.

_Stop…_

Jesse's smiling face began to float to the very forefront of his mind.

_Please…_

Jesse's deep, laughing voice rang loudly inside his ears. It was almost haunting.

 _STOP!!_ Hanzo all but screamed. 

_…_

_…_

_…_

“Darlin’?”

The barrage of noise had already stopped and Hanzo only realized this when he heard the clear quality of that familiar and soothing baritone voice which forced him to snap open his eyes once more.

Immediately, his eyes found the honey-brown orbs of his lover as they stared back at him, his gaze laced with worry.

“Are you okay, Han?”

Hanzo sat up quickly, gasping for breath. He felt like he had just run a couple of miles nonstop. But he didn’t care about the burning feeling in his lungs, he didn’t even care that he was drenched in sweat which felt rather disgusting beneath his clothes. He only cared about the man in front of him who was currently looking at him with nothing but concern.

“Jesse!” he somehow choked out as he threw his arms around the gunslinger.

Surprise spread across Jesse’s face as Hanzo wrapped his arms tightly around his neck and pulled him down over him.

“Woah there!” he said, part-worried, part-amused, and part-laughing.

Jesse let Hanzo do with him as he pleased and willingly fell over him on the mattress.

Only when he heard the metal frame holding the mattress squeak a little from underneath them did Hanzo realize that they were in the medbay…rather, one of the few private rooms that was connected to the medbay, where Angela usually kept solitary patients that needed a quieter atmosphere. The room was around the same size as their private quarters and the walls and ceiling were the exact same shade of white as the much larger area outside. Angela normally didn't put her patients in these rooms except for more serious cases or those that required an extended stay in the medbay than what was usual. It was certainly Hanzo's first time in there and all the white in the small enclosed space almost made it glaringly bright. The scant coloring actually made Jesse and his red serape the most eye-catching object in the room.

He slowly let go of him, allowing the cowboy to hold himself up over Hanzo by his elbows.

“What was that about?” he asked, still smiling and apparently not at all against what Hanzo had just done.

Hanzo looked at him from his eyes to his nose, his mouth and the rest of his handsome face before shaking his head.

“I…had a bad dream.”

Jesse’s brows furrowed as he said this before he leaned over to press his lips onto Hanzo’s forehead.

“Are you okay?”

“I am now…” he admitted, smiling.

“That’s good to hear. Wouldn’t want ya stressin' over a nightmare.”

When Jesse made to get off the bed to sit back down on the stool he had been indiscriminately pulled off of, Hanzo quickly gripped him hard by the arm to stop him.

“Sweetheart?”

“Please…just stay here, right next to me…for a while.”

Looking a little worried again, Jesse didn’t say anything but nodded instead as he shifted around until he got into a more comfortable position beside Hanzo on the too-small mattress.

“For a while then. At least before Angela gets back. She’ll have my head if she sees me messin' with one of ‘er patients. She made it clear that you need to rest.”

Hanzo nodded at this and shifted as well until he was cuddled up against Jesse, his head tucked just underneath the cowboy’s chin with his face pressing against his nape.

“Was it that bad?”

“Hmm?”

“Your dream.”

Though he’d rather not remember his dream at all, scenes began flashing into his mind’s eye and Hanzo inadvertently shivered, especially at the part when he saw Jesse’s lifeless body inside the casket.

“It was very bad.”

“Want to talk about it? It might make ya feel better.”

Hanzo pulled away from Jesse the slightest bit just so he could look up and meet his gaze.

“I dreamed that you were…that you were…”

Even as he thought the words, he could feel his eyes prick and the corners threatening to release his tears.

Apparently realizing what he was about to say without actually having to hear it, Jesse stopped Hanzo from speaking by pulling the archer against his chest, a guilty expression on his face.

“I’m sorry darlin’. We don’t have to talk about it. And it's okay, I'm right here.”

As if to prove his words, he tightened his embrace around Hanzo and squeezed.

"I'm right here," he repeated as he pressed his lips atop his head.

Hanzo wrapped his arms around him and squeezed him right back just as tightly.

“Never leave.”

“I won’t,” Jesse reassured as he attempted to soothe him further with one hand carding through his hair while the other rubbed circles over his clothes by the hip. “Yer stuck with me, Han. I'm never leavin' you. I promise.”

"Stay with me…"

"Always."

Jesse's reply came in a whisper against his hair and once more, Hanzo pulled away to look at him.

“I love you.”

This earned him another one of Jesse's handsome lopsided smiles.

“I love you more.”

* * *

“Yes, we look forward to seeing you here soon… Thank you very much… Goodbye.”

Angela tapped a slender finger on her handheld, effectively ending the call as well as shutting off the holoprojector where an older woman in a white coat had been displayed on the holographic screen only moments earlier. With a sigh, she took out the earpiece she had been wearing for the duration of the call and tossed it carelessly onto her desk.

“What did she say?”

She turned around to look towards Genji who was currently standing, as still as a statue some feet behind her desk, right in front of a closed doorway half the size of the medbay's main entrance. The ninja cyborg was looking through the rectangular glass panel that allowed for anyone on their side to see what is happening in the private room but for the occupants in there to be none the wiser. This allowed for a sense of privacy for the patient while still allowing Angela to monitor them as she should while they are under her care.

“She will be here in three days.”

“She cannot come here sooner?”

“No, she has other patients too. She can’t just drop everything else without notice. Three days is already asking a lot, especially from a doctor of her caliber.”

“You are confident she can help?”

Angela left her seat and walked towards where Genji stood before stopping right beside him.

Genji’s eyes never left the glass panel and she could only follow his gaze in silence.

When her eyes landed on the man inside the private room, she couldn’t help but feel her heart break all over again.

She said nothing for a while as she, together with Genji, watched Hanzo talk rather animatedly by himself. There was no one else in the room besides the archer and yet he was having full conversations to some invisible entity that—as far as Hanzo was concerned—was responding right back to him.

Even without asking, Angela knew who it was Hanzo thought he was talking to. It was easy enough to guess just from watching him now. She doubted anyone, not even his own brother, had ever seen Hanzo look so happy and content while talking to someone other than when it was with a certain cowboy.

While at the funeral which they had thought had ended with Hana’s outburst confirming Jesse’s death, Hanzo had gone hysterical. So much so that even Genji and Jack’s combined efforts at keeping him down was proving to be not enough to hold him any longer. In the end, Angela was forced to put him to sleep, her initial hesitation from doing such a thing to Hanzo at Jesse’s funeral of all times, gone.

In truth, she was hard-pressed to believe that Hanzo’s state of mind was already as far gone as it was. At least, at first. Not only her, but everyone thought he was made of stronger stuff than that especially considering what the archer has already been through with his family, not to mention his history with Genji, and even his years-long work as an assassin. Death is already a constant in their line of work.

But, she supposed, everyone has their limits as to how much hurt and pain they could take before they finally snap. And seeing their beloved shot and killed right before their very eyes, is where Hanzo’s mind drew the line.

“She is a world-renowned psychiatrist, the best in her field,” Angela eventually replied in a low voice as she continued to watch Hanzo drown in his own hallucinations of Jesse with sad eyes. “I certainly hope she can.”

####  THE END

**Author's Note:**

>  **EDIT (04/18/2018 - 06:28 PM EDT):** My apologies about the missing tag and thank you to those who brought it to my attention! I already tagged this story with " **Tragedy** " to begin with but missed checking the tag in the Archive Warnings for "Major Character Death". I honestly don't normally pay attention to those. This is only my 2nd story so I didn't even know that particular tag was even there. I fixed it now though.
> 
> * * *
> 
> If it isn't obvious, yes, Jesse is indeed dead.
> 
> Everything that happened in this story between Hanzo and Jesse (besides the flashbacks during the mission) were all fake, which also explains why no one else other than Hanzo had any actual interaction with Jesse... _everything_ has been a product of Hanzo's hallucinations from the very start due to his inability to accept Jesse's death. (｡•́︿•̀｡)
> 
> * * *
> 
> I hate myself for writing this story. _Ugh._ I honestly **HATE** tragedies. Although I've read a few that were downright _beautiful_ (painfully so), a part of me still hated them just because it was so damn **sad**. I'm a sucker for happy endings and I just couldn't bear thinking about my favorite characters (AKA every character I ever bother writing about) being so miserable in any way or form...even if it does make for a good story. I was actually already on the fence about completing this story but after the idea struck, it kinda developed on its own. I originally just wanted to try my hand at writing something "psychological" themed. It didn't have to have a sad ending but the story wrote itself that way, I guess.
> 
> Also, I originally intended to divide this story into three chapters or even into two at least. But for the life of me, I didn't know just _where_ to cut the story. So because of that, you guys get this monstrosity of a chapter instead and this story is officially a one-shot. That's a good thing though, I think. I don't think I could bear prolonging Hanzo's pain and Jesse's absence any more than I already have in this story. I just need my babies happy, dammit. ( ≧Д≦)
> 
> Anyway, even if this story wasn't an entirely happy one, I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. It was honestly a struggle to write (especially with all the past-present scenes) but I'm just glad I finished it.
> 
> I promise my next one _will_ be happier!! (´∀｀) ♥


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